Okay, I’ve decided to start my new Peoria blog the first week of December. I start my new job a week from today and I want to get settled in to that before I start blogging. Till then I thought I’d update this blog on every Monday up till the first week of December. These are just going to be mini posts, as I don’t want to do full-fledged Peoria blogs till the new one goes up.By now we’ve all heard plenty about Hurricane Sandy. It’s supposed to be hitting New York today and I wish all my friends there good luck and safety. It reminded me of Hurricane Tropical Storm Irene, that landed in New York over a year ago. Here’s some links to my reporting on that:

Once again, I hope this is a somewhat “false” alarm like Hurricane Tropical Storm Irene was a year ago.

On a totally different note, I’m really liking my new apartment and will post photos of it when the new blog goes up in December, but in the meantime, check this out...

They have an ice machine here on the ground floor. It makes me feel like I'm living in a hotel!

And two grills outside that everyone can use. I can’t wait to make a cheeseburger on one of them! Best wishes to all my friends in New York, be safe and batten down your hatches!Further Reading: NY Times, Wikipedia and utah.gov.

Hurricane Sandy also known as Superstorm Sandy was destructive hurricane of the 2012. It was the second-costliest hurricane in United States history. It destroyed basic infrastructure in many areas, many areas were left without electricity. Thanks

Reader Comments (28)

Marty - Just sitting here in Delaware watchng the rain, the wind and the 24/7 weather updates, in other words - bored! Thanks for the opportunity to take a break and go to Peoria. This past summer was the first in 20 odd years that I used charcoal instead of propane. I decided to do this last spring and bought a little grill (looks just like the one in your picture), charcoal and llighter fluid. It reminded me of the old days and of starting up the Q with my dad, plus the burgers, dogs and chicken tasted great!. It was definitely worth the little bit of extra time it took and I encourage you to try it at least once. Looking forward to the new blog! Art

I'm in Belford NJ on the coast and about 45 miles from NYC, not that far from Sandy Hook. The east side of Route 36 has been ordered to evacuate luckily I'm on the west side, just a mile or two away but pretty much away from the fishing boats, bars and other low lifes who thrive in the area. The red necks always suffer the worst but I just saw on TV that a few even refuse to budge, wanna stand guard, I reckon. I wish them well, this one in a real mother.

When I was a kid I used to jerk off to fantasies of Sandy Duncan but in those years I thought every chick was hot and I still do ;)

Art is definitely right on about using charcoal on the grill...tastes the best. Hardwood charcoal is even better.

Congratulations again to you and I am so happy you have found a nice place to live and you are nearer to your parents. Please let me tell you that I wish that I would have listened to my instincts and moved to be close to my Mom. Instead I missed out on valuable time that I could have spent with her and now it is too late....

Is that Coney Island I keep seeing on the news updates? If so, it didn't fare so well. Looks like you got out just in time, Marty. I hope everyone who's still there is safe and sound and warm. All my best thoughts are being beamed to the east coast today.

On a side note, I'm slightly jealous of that sweet-ass ice machine. And by slightly, I mean totally. And that grill on the left looks like cardboard box man agape.

@Biff: I haven't watched much of the updates, it's too depressing. I kind of feel guilty I'm not there. And I'm glad you're impressed by the ice machine, I was really stoked when I saw it for some reason! And yes, TO: GLASS EYEBALLS! You still gots it, Bifferoonie!

@Kat: Thanks for chiming in Kat, my posts won't be too exciting the next couple of weeks, so I appreciate all of you that are still tuning in as I get adjusted to my new life in Peoria. Happy Halloween Eve to you!

Hey Marty - I have been bad about reading blogs for awhile now but just wanted to say we will miss you on the East coast! I am really happy we were able to hang out in NYC and I'll think about you any time I see a Papaya! Take care of yourself, I'll keep an eye out for the new blog.

@Britta: I'll miss you and everyone on the East Coast, but this gives you an excuse to visit the Midwest sometime! I'll be sending out an email about the new blog which I think will go up the first week of December. Good to hear from you!

New Jersey is an absolute mess. Things are really bad. We have no power, no television, no radio, no internet, no landlines, no cell phone service, no texts, no emails, no form of communication whatsoever – nothing. And it could take up to a week to restore everything. Also, the roads are awful. Trees and power lines are down. Streets, and bridges, and tunnels, are closed. No traffic lights work. Ect. Oh, and you can forget about trying to get gas in your car.

Luckily, I was able to escape the disaster area, with my son, and and we made it to Pennsylvania safely. We are staying at my brothers house where there is POWER and INTERNET and SHOWERS and FOOD and FAMILY and TELEVISION and LAUGHTER.

Hey Marty -- nice setup! East Village is kinda creepy and kinda cool in the darkness. Only thing open are a few bars, most of the delis and the occasional pizza place with a generator. Hopefully get power back tomorrow or Saturday.

@Spike: Thanks, I like it here. Sorry about the pounding the East Village took from Sandy. I feel kind of guilty I'm not there and hope things get back to normal sooner than later. Hang in there and tell everyone I send greetings and good thoughts!